NANA & Shinichi stories
by lychiis
Summary: Hi, from my first published doc till now, I realized that I would like to continue Ai Yazawa's craft of NANA. Of course, I'm not as talented as her in artwork, but I am willing to continue her story from Ren's car crash. And as a side story: Shinichi Okazaki, an innocent, sad junior high student, who has a difficult past, wants to be free! What does it take to gain FREEDOM?
1. Interpretation of Ren's car accident

So, this is for Nana Osaki.

Author's thought:

After watching the anime on Sunday night, and reading the part where Ren dies in the manga, I didn't understand how and why did Ren died in a car crash. I was frustrated and had to unleash some anger somewhere. So after a night of thinking and releasing some tension, I reread that moment again and slowly grasped what was happening. And how Ai Yazawa (the author and artist of NANA) tried to describe the tragedy. I'm sure that there are people like me, who didn't understand the story. So for those people, I would like to write what happened that night starting from Hachiko talking to Ren.

I hope you enjoy,

Beginning with Ai Yazawa's original dialogue:

Hachiko: "Ren!"

Ren: "Quit Barking!"

Hachiko: "Naoki told me everything, is this the demon's premonition that Takumi spoke of?"

Ren: "Demon's Premonition? Are you alright?"

Hachiko: "I should be the one asking that. Nana doesn't know about this right? If she knows she wouldn't have ignored it. If you find it hard to tell her about it, I'll do it!"

[...] (skipped some lines of Ai Yazawa)

Hachiko: "You want to go to Osaka? Are you sure it's alright for you to travel such a long distance?"

Ren: "It's alright, I'm not that weak, I still speak cohesively compared to you."

Hachiko: "Thank you so much Ren. If you can go, that would be great. At this kind of time, I can't go out and leave Takumi alone at home. When he came back, he looked on the verge of tears. He went to bed without a word. Naoki says it's because he feels ostracized by his band mates. But I still feel like..."

Ren: Ah! Really? That's bad.

Hachiko: Eh?

Ren (sad expression): Nana must be depressed now...

Hachiko: Ah, I'm sorry, But she'll be fine if you visit her. Get there by tonight and be the first to give your wishes.

Ren: But before that... I have to bring Reira back to the castle. I want to protect Trapnest...

Hachiko: Do you even know where Reira is?

Ren: I pretended to agree with her actions and asked for her address.

As a result, Ren determines to see Reira first, and then in the morning, with Hachiko, head to Osaka to wish Nana a happy Birthday! The last thing that Ren says on the phone to Hachiko is:

"I won't die before I get to see Satsuki-chan's little face." Hachiko laughs and ends the call.

At this moment, the reporters (or are they stalkers?) track down Ren's car. They see him speeding in the snow storm and believe that he is rushing to go see Reira at a hospital.

Ren with a sad expression looks at his left side mirror where he sees the reporter's car tailing him. He ignores it and hears the radio announcing:

"Coming up, we have a song by the band that many fans are hoping to see make a comeback. BLACK STONES!" Ren suddenly sees Nana sitting on an edge of a window of a building, looking down at him. She then jumps and Ren, with a shocked look, turns his steering wheel towards Nana, and before anyone knows what was going on, he crashes into the building. And an animal's tail runs across the edge.

Meanwhile, the real Nana finishes her music business and has the fans running towards her. Deep inside herself, she has no energy to celebrate since Hachiko cancelled their meeting. She knows that Ren has things more important than her to worry about, Hachiko has Takumi, and of course, Nana has her big dream all lined up ahead. But she feels that everyone has somebody more important than her, and feels left out (i.e: lonely). One day, she hopes that Ren and herself will return together to Soukogai, where she felt valuable, safe and strong.


	2. Tragedy strikes the clique

The news of Ren's accident spreads like spilled oil in ocean.

The first person who investigated this tragedy is Narita, the head of Trapnest's record label. After confirming that Ren's dead, he calls Takumi next.

" Takumi... " Narita sobs. Takumi knows that normally, Narita always worries about the band members. So, he assures him:

"Narita-san, there's nothing to cry about. Ren says that he'll bring Reira back before daybreak. Isn't that great?" After a few moments, Hachiko sees Takumi's face grow pale. She hears him say:

"It's fine. Please speak. I'm listening." Takumi says calmly, while taking Hachiko's hand. Hachiko suddenly shivers and looks up to see Takumi's expression. She gets a sense of misfortune and squeezes her husband's hand.

After a few minutes later, Takumi says:

"Got it. I'll get ready. I'm at home. Come and pick me up." And then, he hangs up the phone. Hachiko with a worrisome face, asks:

"What's wrong?" Takumi without looking back at Hachiko, gets up from the bed and instructs her:

"Come, let's go. Put on more clothes. Don't catch a cold."

"Eh?"

"Ren met with a car accident at his hometown." Hachiko freezes for a second and then disruptively questions:

"What? Accident?"

"Let's walk while we talk. If we don't hurry, we'll miss the last flight." And then Hachiko instantly thinks of her conversation with Ren on the phone. She can't believe what Takumi told her and believes that:

_No matter what Ren said, [she] should have stopped him._ When Hachiko thinks of Ren, she also thinks of Nana.

"Takumi! We must tell Nana as soon as possible..." Hachiko yells.

"I know, calm down." Takumi reassures her.

"How do we break the news to her? Is Ren ok?" Hachiko asks as they hustle out of the house.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nobuo, a guitarist of BLAST, who heard a loud unknown sound in his house, is with Shinichi Okazaki, a 15 year old musician, Miu Shinoda, an actress who is older than how she looks, and Yasushi Takagi, a lawyer in training and who is the most reliable guy in the group. All four of them are playing mahjong, when Yasu's phone rings and shows that it is from Takumi. Yasu answers:

"Hello?"

"Yasu? My band's guitarist lost his battle." Takumi says.

"Eh?" Yasu listens.

"REN'S DEAD!" Takumi shouts into the phone.

* * *

At the same time, Nana is in a live program getting interviewed.

"Now we'll play a song that has been highly anticipated." The broadcaster announces. Nana, with her eyes closed, proudly listens to her song. She proudly says:

"It's my new solo work fresh from the recording studio. [Please enjoy it!]"

* * *

Back with Nobuo and the gang: They meet up with Mai Tsuzuki, a #1 fan of BLAST, and their driver, who drives them to the airport. Everyone is either crying, weeping, wailing, or blubbering. Yasu, who is the most composed guy, talks to Ginpei Shiroboshi, the BLAST's manager, on the phone and yells at him after telling him about Ren.

"There is no time for this! Go to the airport immediately!" Ginpei whimpers and asks:

"But... What should I tell her..." Miu interferes and takes the phone from Yasu. She talks in her sweet calm voice:

"Hello Ginpei? Listen carefully: I've just checked using my [cell], the last flight from your Osaka has left, the train service has also stopped. Although it's a longer ride, it's better if you drive..." Mai, who is in the front seat with the driver, cries, while Nobuo in the back seat with a teary Shin complains:

"That's even slower than taking the first flight from Osaka! Can't you think of something else! Ren really wanted to see Nana..." Shin snivels and Miu starts weeping. Yasu takes his phone back and asks Ginpei:

"Can you cancel the rest of her appointments?" Ginpei agrees. Yasu instructs Ginpei.

"After the live program, take Nana back to her hotel immediately. Don't switch on the TV or radio. Don't let her see or hear the news. Don't let anyone else near Nana." Ginpei nods in understanding the situation. However, he is still concerned about Nana.

"...what should I tell her..." Yasu advises:

"Don't say anything, just act as [if you are perfectly] normal." Yasu pauses and then continues:

"I'll tell Nana. I'm going to Osaka." After that, Yasu hangs up and Ginpei follows his instructions.

* * *

At the airport, Miu and the rest of the gang in the van meet up with Hachiko and Takumi.

Outside of the airport and raining, Naoki, the drummer of Trapnest, phones Reira, the singer of Trapnest. However, after a few attempts, he cannot reach her. So, he joins his 7 friends and discusses the scenario. The scenario is that Hachiko, Miu and Nobu will take one cab; Takumi, Naoki and Shin will take another cab to all go see Ren at a hospital. Yasu and Mai will get on the last flight to Osaka. They will be the ones who will tell Nana about Ren. Until they get information about Ren's condition from Miu or Takumi, they will wait in front of Nana's room of a hotel in Osaka. After establishing their roles, the 8 friends split.

When the 6 arrive at the hospital where Ren is kept, they meet up with the director, Narita. Takumi decides that the director and himself will identify the body, before anybody else. At the same time, Nobuo decides that he wants to go too.

"Wait here first, after the identification, there will be plenty of time to see him." Takumi intervenes. Nobuo argues:

"Among everyone here, I've known Ren for the longest!"

"Takumi!" Hachiko, who's sitting with Miu and Shin, calls out. After a few minutes of silence, Takumi agrees.

"As you wish" and then they're gone. Hachiko thinks: "_To the teenage Nobu, Ren was an invincible hero."_ She then remembers Shin.

"Where's Shin?" She asks Miu. Miu and Hachiko look at the driver, and see Shin curl up in a ball shaking. Hachiko thinks: "_I must be stronger, otherwise I'm not fit to be a mum." _Then, she runs to Shin, and they, including Miu, all hold each other for comfort.

At that moment, Riera sends a message to Shin.

_Thanks for your mail. Although I'm very happy, your life is full of possibilities. Please forget me._

After that, she gets a call from Naoki, who is sitting on the hospital floor in one of the hallways. He breaks down. Finally, Riera answers and states:

"Naoki! [...] I don't want to listen to your complaints!"

"Reira! I want to talk about Ren!" Naoki exclaims in a worrisome tone.

"What's wrong with Ren...?" Reira suddenly feeling uneasy.

* * *

At this time, Takumi, Nobuo and Narita follow a man, who explains the scene that Ren was in.

"The car must have been moving at a very fast speed. It created a relatively huge amount of damage to the body..."

"I'm mentally prepared." Takumi states. Narita breaks down and weeps. When Takumi sees that, he lets him be and Nobuo and himself go into a room. The man lifts a white sheet to show Ren's head. Nobu and Takumi are horrified. _Ren is truly dead._ The man makes a remark by saying:

"Both hands are miraculously unscathed. He must have given his all to protect his hands at that instant. When I saw his body in the car, his hands were already positioned [together]."

* * *

Later the night, everyone bawls out.

"REN!" Reira wails near Ren's covered body.

"REIRA! Don't look!" Noaki holds Riera back.

"Why? Let me see Ren!" Reira cries out.

"You can't see him anymore..." Noaki sobs while holding Riera. Riera gives up the fight and sobs.

Finally, Miu contacts Yasu about Ren's condition, and with a brave face, Yasu walks through a door with Mai.

* * *

Nana with a high spirit, explains her joy:

"It's such a colorful year, far too many things have happened. Many unpleasant things happened, but in the end, I still feel happy." At that moment, the door bell rings. Nana sprints towards the door thinking it's Hachiko. However, Ginpei pulls her back and he answers the door. Yasu, standing on the other side, takes a deep breath.

"...Sorry." Yasu starts tearing up.

"I simply can't think of any words that could save you...

Ren is dead..."

Author's Remark:

This chapter is purely based on Ai Yazawa's NANA: original chapter 77, 78.1 & 78.2. I might've skipped some scenes, parts and maybe changed a few wordings. However, it is all Ai Yazawa's work, characters, story, everything! I just wanted to write this chapter so that it flows in with my version of NANA.

Comments are welcomed!


	3. Shinichi's first appearance

Author's Thought:

I LOVE SHIN-CHAN! The dangerous, mysterious 15 year old teenage boy, and how Hachiko is like a motherly figure to him based on 48 episodes of NANA. This all inspires me to write about him. I want to discover who he is, from the time before he encounters Hachiko, and why he is so mysterious and inspired by Ren Honjo.

Shinichi Okazaki's perspective:

Hi, I'm Shinichi Okazaki. I'm a junior high student, and I am obliged to report everything I do to my father. To be honest, am tired of living as one of the servants, who reports everything, just because he wants control of anything. Routinely, I have to show my school grades to my father, because he's strictly a high estate manager, who knows the worldwide news on the top of his head. Everything for him is business. So, when there's a good mark, he dismisses it without looking at me and says:

"Work hard next time." If I get a horrible mark on a test, my dad would torture me until he had enough. If he gets drunk or furious, the torture would take hours. I have scars that remind me everyday. Anyways, whatever! I don't care anymore. Right now, I just came back from school and hear my father angrily shouting on the phone:

"YOU SERIOUSLY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! You're fired! You hear me? FIRED!" I peek into the living room and see my late-mother's vase broken on the floor. _Seriously? he's angry again? That's it!_ without another look, I run out of the door and determine never to go back. When night falls, I curl up near a closed restaurant under a shed; homeless, tired and all alone in this snowy blizzard night.

A woman who was pacing by, stops and asks:

"Sweet boy, are you lost? Want to stay at my place?" I sniff and nod. I really don't care who this woman is, I just want someone to be with me. The woman reaches her hand towards me as I get up and follow her. She wears a black trench coat and black leather boots. I wonder what her profession is, because she looks beautiful with her long, wavy hair; down to her hips. She wears a black hat and holds an umbrella securely like a goddess in the night. She glances back at me and eventually, slows down her strides to be by my side. A sudden swoon of Calla lily perfume makes my nose tingle. I abruptly gasp for air, without her realizing my temptation to sneeze. She softly whispers into my ears:

"I'm Ryoko Kawashigi. What's yours?" Before I answer, we both stop in front of a townhouse with the number 1340.

* * *

Ryoko invites me into her home and I suddenly, feel like I'm out of place. _Why am I here? I should be at my father's house, working on Calculus._ However, when I look at Ryoko, taking off her coat and revealing a short red dress. I instantly dismiss that thought and follow her to her expensive black couch in the middle of the room. She lights up a cigar, takes a drag and then offers it to me.

"Want it?" I am taken back for a minute, because for me, I have never done any dirty, illegal stuff like this. But then, when I see Ryoko relaxed and composed as she does not budge from her position, I see myself reach for her cigarette and slowly inhale it. Urgently, I jerk up and start coughing. Ryoko chuckles and comments:

"That's cute. You literally need this stuff." And then she pulls out a bag of what-looks-like white pills and pops one in in her mouth. She motions me to come forward and I go without hesitation. She pulls me close and smacks her wet glossy red lips to mine, forcing my mouth to open. Subsequently, she transfers the pill from her mouth into mine and then we break off. I jump out of the couch, shocked at what I did and accidentally swallow the pill. Momentarily, I stop coughing and feel a new burst of energy in my body. I curiously ask:

"What was that?"

"A magic trick! Want me to teach you how?" I grimace and sit back down. She comes closer to me, wraps her arms around my neck and we fall back, kissing each other; drowning me into the darkness.


	4. Nana's Nightmare!

Author's thought:

The contents of the first two chapters of NANA are from Ai Yazawa's original work. From this point on, I will like to continue on with this story based on what might happen in real life. No bias opinions, I will just follow up with the main goal of this story; which is _Achieving the two Nana's DREAMS!_ So, there still might be some Ai Yazawa's work incorporated and some quotes from the 48 episodes that I watched of _NANA_, because sometimes I need to refer to them... giving me some inspiration to write my own.

Specifically, this chapter will answer: What will happen to Nana Osaki? How does she cope with this loss? How are the emotions affecting her?

Commence:

"Ren is dead."

Nana freezes. Her face suddenly becomes pale white and her surroundings begin to turn grey. It feels like life has abruptly stopped. She tries to rebut, but nothing comes out of her mouth. She's motionless like a statue.

"Nana... I'm sorry..." Yasu empathizes. Mai rushes to Nana and gives her a big hug, while wailing:

"NANA! I'M SO SORRY..." She bawls out. Nana doesn't budge. In a distant, Ginpei starts crying. The whole room feels blue. Nobody talks for a few hours, until Yasu quietly suggests:

"We should give Nana some time off." He and Mai walk out of the room, Ginpei follows and the door is shut. Nana, who's still frozen in place, looks up at the front door and turns around to hit the sacks. She soundly cries on her pillow all through the night. She doesn't believe that Ren is gone. She remembers the time when Ren proposed to Nana in her room at a company's recording studio.

_When I die, you'll keep me company. _Ren said, and then opened up Nana's black collar and teased it a bit by squeezing her neck. She was half-choking, but understood that they were bounded to each other. She had stop seeing Ren for 2 months, but realized that she couldn't end their relationship easily. When they made love to one another, at that moment, Nana believed that _[She] went to heaven with him. _

Back in her bed, her breath shortens and Nana starts hyperventilating. She grabs a brown paper bag from her nearest table and slowly breathes in and out. When she feels better, she looks up and sees herself in a mirror across the room. She has never cried so much before. Her eyes are blotch red and her makeup is all washed away. She cannot recognize herself. After lying back down on her bed, she slowly drifts off to sleep.

_"Nana... pss... Nana!" _

_"Eh?" Nana slowly gains consciousness._

_"Nana, look at me." Nana squints her eyes and sees Ren's sad __ face_.

_"What are you-" _

_"Don't talk Nana. Listen to me... I'm in the midst of going to heaven. But before I head up there, I want to bring you with me." Nana views an image of Ren lying on top of her like how they used to be in Soukogai, where they lived together. She exclaims:  
_

_"Take me with you!" and then Nana's vision changes into a scene where she is in Ren's driver seat. She sees an illusion of herself on an edge of a window, looking directly at her. Afterwards, She sees her image jump off the edge, and without warning, she's forced to turn her steering wheel towards the building with the edge and ends up... changing the scene back to Ren on top of her.  
_

_"Nana." Ren murmurs. Nana, who is scared, opens her eyes and sighs._

_"What was all that?" Ren replies:_

_"My last day on Earth." Nana, suddenly alert, shouts:_

_"no, no, __NO, NO_! that can't be!" Ren, who's calm, but has sorrow eyes, touches Nana face and brushes off a tear on her face. 

_"Nana, you have to be strong. You need to be strong. Go get your dream..." Ren's voice fades out and __all of a sudden,_ he vanishes along with the vision of the scene.

Nana wakes up to the shining sun reflecting on her face.

"Ugh... Why so bright?" Nana waits for a minute, lying on her bed. When nobody answers her, she gets up groggily and makes her way to the bathroom. In the bathroom, she sees herself in the mirror, and imagines Ren standing next to her. She wants to wrap herself around Ren's neck and just stay like that for eternity. But then she remembers Ren's last words, before disappearing.

_Go get your dream..._

She goes back to her bed and finds the keys to Ren's place in Soukogai and to his lock on his neck in her bag. She holds them tightly, close to her chest and lowers her head; mourning for Ren.


	5. She finally understands

Author's Thought on _Nana's Nightmare!:_

I'm sorry... I reread that chapter and realized that I made some small mistakes... such as: "Nana['s] face" and I bet it's kinda confusing when I wrote: "When nobody answered..." I meant to explain that when Nana was waiting for a reply and got none, she dismissed the thought and got out of bed. I hope it's clear now. I'm so ashamed because I can't edit it anymore since I deleted the document. Anyways, I'll continue writing about Nana. I've learned my lesson!

* * *

Nana looks at the keys that she's been holding, on this early morning. From gripping them hard and mourning for Ren, her hands finally open up and she sees them all marked with jabbed finger nails. She giggles to herself thinking: _How silly am I to hold these keys._ _They're not even mines._ She is about to throw them away when she gets hit by a flashback of her first meet with Ren.

It was during her 3rd year of high school. She went to a music concert with Nobu. Ren was performing and she thought how amazing it would be to be under that spotlight. But what really struck her was the man playing his guitar passionately. She stared at Ren and was fascinated by his performance.

Then, another moment was when Nana and Ren were in Soukogai, in the bath tub together. Ren would wash Nana as if it was a natural thing to do as a couple.

Nana constantly gets these flashbacks of Ren and feels that her heart might literally shatter into pieces. She also thinks of Hachiko, the lover fanatic, since she experienced so much of love and relationships. Nana thinks that Hachiko would say: "_only soul mates would understand each other from these flashbacks." _However, Nana giggles again. _That's irrational. Who would even believe that? _But then she remembers Ren's accident, and a cold shiver runs down her body. She gets back into the covers and lie awake.

"Rock girl! you got to pull yourself together!" Nana gets up quickly.

"Who's there?"

"I'm Angel Hachiko, Nana! I'm here!" Nana looks around until she, finally, spots an angel waving at her in a corner.

"What are you?" Nana goes near the angel, trying to see if she can touch her.

"I'm Angel Hachiko." Nana jumps in shock and blurts out:

"Are you the Hachiko, my roommate? Did you die?" The angel shakes her head.

"No, I'm an image of 'your' Hachiko. In other words, I'm like part of your brain, Nana." Nana scratches her head, speechlessly.

"Let's just say, I'm the devil's advocate. But not really..." The angel murmurs to herself. Nana still confused, thinks: _What a strange little creature. _

"HEY! I'm not strange and definitely not a _little creature._ I'm trying to help you." The angel shouts out.

"Alriiight!" Nana gives up with a yawn. However, in the back of her mind, she thinks: _How can she read my mind? _

"I don't. I'm in your mind." The angel slyly replies. Nana pulls over the covers and tries to pretend to sleep.

"HEY! Don't sleep! I'm here to tell you something important." The angel exclaims. Nana responds:

"Then tell me. What's important?" The angel sighs with a relief, because the reason why she appears in front of Nana is so that she can fulfill Ren's command. She explains:

"Did you know only soul mates can understand each other through flashbacks?" Nana, who is half-listening, yawns again.

"Have you realized that your soul mate, Ren is trying to tell you something through these multiples of flashbacks." The angel suddenly gets Nana's attention.

"You say what? I"m having these flashbacks because I miss Ren." Nana debates. The angel clears her throat and then speaks:

"Yes. You may think so. However, I know that Ren, your soul mate, is telling you that life is too precious to be grieving on. You should move on." Nana looks at the angel suspiciously.

"Can you not say 'soul mate'? It makes me uncomfortable." The angel chuckles and then continues her explanation.

"You know the dream you had about Ren? Well, you can say it wasn't really a dream. I guess it was more of a flashback for him, but for you, it was... you can say a vision. He was trying to tell you about his accident."

"Yeah! I got it. He literally, showed me how he got into a mess." Nana comments.

"Yes. But that's not all. After showing you the accident, the vision changed and Ren appeared to be on top of you." Nana blushes.

"Well, his purpose was to take you with him. But his time between Earth and Heaven was limited. So, he quickly thought of his last words to you and then 'POOF!' The whole 'dream' vanished."

"So what does this all mean?" Nana eagerly asks.

"It means that as your 'soul mate', he really wants you to STRIVE and OBTAIN your dream! And then maybe, just maybe after that, you will get another vision of Ren." The angel pauses to observe Nana's expression. She then asks:

"Do you want to see Ren?" Nana pauses for a minute, reflecting on this 'mini Hachiko's' question. After some time, Nana's expression changes from worrying, into a reassuring, self-possessing and newly 20 year old lady. When the angel realizes that, she smiles and disappears. Nana finally understands and she confidently thinks:

_[Even though]_ _my last ray of hope has been cut off[,]_ _No one will save me from the pain I feel from falling hopelessly for Ren. [... This i__s] my unavoidable fate. [Only I can save myself.]  
_


	6. Shinichi's 2nd runaway

SIDE NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: (3/15/14) I just found out that apparently, Ryoko resembles to Reira in the manga. I will be describing Ryoko as Shion. (Shion, in the manga, always changes appearances except for her instinctive features such as the mole under her left eye and a cross tattoo on her right arm). So for my story, I will continue using Ryoko as having the appearance of Shion. And in the future, if Shin-chan encounters "Shion", I will describe her as a woman who resembles to Riera and possibly Riera's mother...

* * *

3 o'clock in the morning, I find myself next to Ryoko, lying on her bed, naked. _What happened?_ I remember that we ended up on her couch last night. How did I end up in her bed? I look at Ryoko, soundly sleeping. I stroke her cheek bone, while noticing that she has a mole under her left eye. Soon enough, I somehow fall back asleep.

8 o'clock in the morning, I wake up and see that Ryoko is gone. I get up, suddenly worried and alert for her. _Where did she go?_ I see a note on the bed saying:

" _Shin-chan, be a good boy and wait for me. Xoxo Ryoko_." Oh. Ok. So she left the house. I get dress and realize that I still have on my uniform from school. I also realize that yesterday, I rushed out of the house and ended up not bringing extra clothing. I forget why I ran away from my house, but I know that I could never live with my father anymore. Holding that thought, I notice that I don't have money to buy myself clothes. So, I decide to go fetch some spare clothing at home, and since Ryoko wants me to stay in her house, I determine to return before she gets back.

_1340!_ Out the door, I memorize the address and start running. It feels good with the wind blowing my natural brown short hair. My sky-blue eyes sting with the pierce of the wind. Suddenly, my head starts pounding, and I cannot figure out why. My hand goes into my black jacket that I'm wearing, and I find the white pill that Ryoko popped into my mouth last night. I swallow it and instantly feel better. I continue my way to my father's house.

When I get to my father's real estate building, I gasp in for air while viewing the building. Once I caught my breath, I run in and smile at the security guard at the front.

"Hi, Aki-san." He waves back and there I passed one security. _5 to go!_ When I get into the elevator, Mr. Edward, a bodyguard from Europe appears.

"Shinichi? Where did you go? You are suppose to be in your room studying." Mr. Edward questions. He's the type of person who pays attention to specific instructions. But I know that he has a soft spot for children, especially childish behavior. As a result, I use that soft spot to my advantage.

"Mr. Edward, I was just in the garden and saw a big beautiful violet butterfly. I followed it until it flew away." I quickly make that excuse and pout. For the rest of the ride up to the 6th floor, Mr. Edward repeats to himself.

"That's the cutest expression I saw from Young master Shinichi." And he giggles. I roll my eyes and think:_ Whatever makes him happy... 4 more to go!_

Once, I'm on the 6th floor, which is the business meeting floor, I see a maid cleaning up a room. I hide myself behind a wall, and slowly, pass 3 guards in the far hallway. I check my pocket for any metallic object and seen that I have none, I cross through a "gate" that Mashino-san guards.

"Nothing metal?" I shake my head.

"Good! You know how it is." I nod. To explain Mashino-san in one sentence: He obsesses over metal.

Finally, I find the room where my father usually has his meetings with 'important' people and eavesdrop.

"... So, we will go as planned. Any objections?" I hear my father saying with his booming voice.

"uh, we can think of another way to cope with Young master Shinichi." One of the people in the room contends.

"And why should I listen to you, Mr. Elenor?" My father replies.

"Because I just think that it's unreasonable to send away Young master. He's such a sweet boy-" Right that moment, I stop listening and run down the hallway to my room. I quickly pack all my favorite clothing and rush out of the estate building. I pause for a minute because I know that going back to way I came isn't the best way to not be noticed. So I went back into my room, got a safety key to unlock a secret door, that was practically a wall. I open it and jump in a hole. That hole leads to the terrace of the back garden. From the garden, I run in the direction of the restaurant where I first met Ryoko and get myself something to eat.


	7. Going back to Tokyo

The day of Ren's funeral in Tokyo has finally come. Everybody; Hachiko, Takumi, Miu, Shin, Nobuo, Naoki and Riera all gather around a cemetery at 10am, looking at their feet. Hachiko, who holds Shin like a mother hugging her son, shivers and worries about Nana.

"Will they come?" Hachiko, like a puppy, asks Takumi.

"I'm sure she will." Takumi assures her.

"Nana is tough. She'll be alright. I trust her. I know she will come." Nobu adds. Takumi and Nobu's eyes meet for a second and then without a word both look in the opposite directions. Naoki and Riera are still crying in the back and Miu calls Yasu.

"Hey! Are you almost here? The funeral will start at 1." Yasu on the other side of the phone, says:

"Yes. Mai and I are heading to Nana's hotel in just a moment. We will be there soon."

* * *

Yasu and Mai are in a taxi heading towards Nana's hotel.

"I hope she's alright. Actually, I want her to be alright. I just can't help thinking what if she's like yesterday, frozen in place." Mai worries.

"I mean, I was frightened. Even when I was crying I felt that her heart froze." Mai continues. Yasu says:

"I know, Mai. But we all know how strong she is. I just hope she's going to be stable during the funeral." Then the conversation is left hanging in the air.

Once they arrive at the hotel, Ginpei is already there waiting for them at the lobby.

"Good timing, I was just about to call you."

"Hi, Ginpei! Going to see Nana?"

"Yes, Mai. But I'm nervous to see her." Without another word, Mai holds Ginpei's hand and all three of them walk into the elevator to meet Nana. Once they were on Nana's floor. Mai says:

"What if we separate, so that she won't feel pressured to invite us all in at the same time?" Ginpei and Yasu agrees and the first one to knock on the door is Mai. Ginpei and Yasu hide behind a colon. Upon seeing Nana open the door, Mai calmly asks:

"Hi Nana, can I come in?" Nana looks around the hallway and catches a glimpse of Ginpei's brown hair.

"Mai, just let everyone in. I see Ginpei hiding, so I'm sure Yasu's there with him." Ginpei looks astonished and both Yasu and Ginpei reveals themselves.

"Come on in guys!" Nana suggests in a careless manner. When all three of them come into her room and sees that she's just her usual self; lying on her bed. All three of them sigh in relief.

"So, what's the occasion for all three of you to come visit me." Nana smokes the Sevenstar pack of cigarettes.

"Nothing-" Ginpei lifts his hands and gives Nana a confident smile. Yasu interrupts him.

"It's Ren's funeral today. We came to pick you up!" Ginpei and Mai hold their breathes, frightened that Nana will burst out crying, or worse, not speak to them... or worse than that; kick them out! Nana takes a long drag before responding to that.

"It's fine. I'm not going." Mai exclaims:

"Why not!? Everyone is waiting at the funeral site." Nana shoots back.

"When does it start?"

"At 1 in the afternoon. Nana, you must go!" Nana this time, becomes silent. She knows that it's important to face reality, but she's scared that she will break down at the occasion. A moment later, Yasu, with a cigarette in his mouth, comes out of the kitchen with some tea.

"Nana, why don't you drink this? It will make you feel better." Nana doesn't respond. She stares at the ground until the cup of tea is in her hands, and drinks it.

"EW! what is it?" Yasu replies:

"Tea. I recently bought a pack because of the good 'nutrients' in it, I thought maybe you should give it a taste. Nana, maybe this is your wake-up call!" Nana slams the cup down on a table, causing it to almost break. The cup gets spilled onto her fingers.

"OW!" Nana takes her hand when she's flinching.

"YASU! Seriously?!" She changes her mind.

"Fine! Yasu! I'll go. But it's got nothing to do with this stupid tea." Yasu grimaces, puts on his shades and takes away the tea. He shoots an eye confidently at Ginpei and Mai like he has done something GREAT!. After that, they all check out of the hotel and go back to Tokyo.


	8. Chapter 8: My finalé of NANA

Author's thought: Recently, I read **Lea Miles** story of _I need your love, I'm a broken rose_ and it kind of gave me the courage to continue writing about my Nana story. **Lea Miles…** you're story made me think about the characters that you portrayed in your story. It's an inspiration. Thank you very much! Your story gave me the support I need to unleash my imagination. I gotta say, these days it's hard to write about Nana's feeling about RIP Ren, but I'll try to satisfy my readers into a good, solid chapter.

* * *

Upon arriving in Tokyo on an airplane, Yasu once again calls Miu.

"Miu? in just a moment we will be descending... Tell everyone-" And Nana takes away the phone from him.

"Miu! Don't tell anyone that I'm coming... I don't want a big commotion." Then Nana hears Nobu's voice in the background.

"Yo MAN! Nana better come... It's Ren's funeral for crying out loud!" Miu intercepts with a whisper.

"Sorry Nana, what were you saying? Nobu's getting frustrated of waiting." And then Nana hears something, like a flower vase broken.

"Could you please have Nobu on the phone? I need to talk to him." Without another word, the phone is given to Nobu. Nobu's sketchy voice salutes:

"H-i! Who's -th-is?"

"NOBU! KEEP YOUR COOL, DON'T GO RUNNING AROUND BREAKING FLOWER VASES!" Nana demands.

"Uh, Nana? It's you who's keeping the suspense in the air. Just get over here and see with your own eyes what's going on." Nobu briefly explains. Nana feels a tear dripping down her face. She brushes it away. And forces herself to stay strong. She gives back the phone to Yasu and in her own seat looks at the window thoughtlessly.

"Nobu?"

"No, it's Miu. So, how long will you be in the air, half of us can pick you up." Miu suggests. Yasu answers her question, sighs and agrees, but suggests that Nobu should stay out of trouble.

"Sure thing! We'll have bodyguards around him." Yasu chuckles and Mia who sits beside him, sees him having a warm thoughtful expression.

* * *

Around 11 o'clock, at the site of Ren's RIP location, Takumi and Nobu are going through a death stare contest. Riera pulls Takumi, while Shin holds on to Nobu. Miu cleans up the mess that Nobu made and announces to everyone:

"Hachiko, Noaki and I will go meet Nana and the others. Shin and Riera? please keep on eye on Nobu and Takumi. The rest of you, please finish the preparation for the funeral." Then Miu goes to Shin and then Riera and whispers:

"Remember, we don't know what reckless things Takumi and Nobu might do. So please watch them very careful." After that, she goes to meet up with Hachiko.

Hachiko is on the phone calling Junko Saotome and Kyosuke Takakura. She's informing them on something that from a far view, people would think she's just chatting up happily on the phone.

"Heyy! Jun-chan, come have a picnic with all of us."

"Huh? Nana, isn't it today's Ren's funeral?" Why have a picnic? and who are these people?"

"Jun! The Trapnest and Blast people are having a picnic in front of a funeral site. We want to have a big feast in front of Ren's soon-to-be-grave. Just to celebrate his life!" Junko hushes on the other side of the phone. She murmurs to Kyosuko, her boyfriend and comes back to the phone with Hachiko.

"Huh? But Nana, it's Ren's funeral ceremony. Why are you soo cheerful? It sounds suspicious." Junko responds.

"No, Junko. I am sad for Ren. But crying won't make Ren come back. They only way for this is to move on. And before I want to move on, The Trapnest members want to-"

"Ok Nana. I get it. But please be aware of your behavior, Nana. I don't want other people misinterpreting your "happy self!" right now." Hachiko quickly agrees and hangs up the phone. She sees Miu and Noaki and skips towards them.

"What's up? I was on the phone, so I didn't hear your announcement Miu." Miu and Noaki give Hachiko an astonished look.

"What is it?" Hachiko asks and then, remembers Jun-chan's warning.

"Oh! Don't mind me." Hachiko waves her hand hurriedly. "Please Miu, what's going on?" Miu replies.

"Oh. Nothing to worry Hachiko. You will come with us and meet up with Nana, Yasu and Mai. Are you okay with that?" Miu asks. Hachiko nods and they all leave.

* * *

At Tokyo's airport, Hachiko, Miu and Noaki meet up with Nana, Yasu and Mai. Hachiko cries.

"NANA! MAI! Thank goodness I can finally see you. How are you all doing?" Nana shrugs and Mai smiles at her.

"It's alright. The plane took longer than I expected to." Nana comments. Yasu intervenes.

"No, it didn't. You were just so in your own bubble, I practically had to drag you out from the plane, because you were practically immobile." Miu, who is by Yasu's side, kisses Yasu, while everyone else laughs. Nana cringes her face at Yasu like a child. She then turns to Hachiko and says:

"Hachi, it's so good that you can be with me today." Hachiko stops laughing, and starts tearing up.

"What do you mean Nana? I'm always here for you." Nana suddenly laughs.

"It's funny how you are the one who says that to me. It's like we reversed roles." Hachiko laughs as well and everyone goes into a taxi and go to the funeral.

* * *

At the funeral, all the preparations had been completed... except for the fact that Nobu and Takumi are still staring at each other. When Miu and the others arrive at the scene. Shin reports to Miu, how they were at it without a break.

Nana hears this and walks up to Nobu and slaps him.

"OW!"

"Oh! You have a reaction to my slap? I thought you were admiring that devil!" Nobu looks shocked and then recovers from the shock by saying:

"What? I'm not admiring him. I just seriously need to punch his face." Takumi points to Nobu and is about to say something before Hachiko interjects.

"Takumi, please stop it. The preparation is done. The ceremony is about to begin. We should head there before it gets crowded." Then Hachiko leaves with Takumi, while Nana and Nobu stands still. Hachiko reappears a moment later, and calls out.

"Nana, come on! Don't stand there. Hurry up!" And then Nana smiles at her and brings Nobu along with Nana.

Ren's funeral begins.

When the usher is speaking, and when everyone is silent, Nana looks up to the sky and feels a tear drop falling down. She suddenly feels Hachiko's warm hands holding hers. She looks at Hachiko and Hachiko smiles back at her. Nana thinks: _It doesn't matter if Ren's gone. As long as my number one fan, number one friend, who is by my side every step of the way, is alive. I will have the courage, the opportunity, the gift of living and pursue my dream to the fullest._

_Hachi, from the start, when we first met till now, you have been there for me and with me. No matter what happens in life; the good things and the bad things, our friendship will surpass them all. On a final note: Goodbye Ren!_

* * *

**Author's FINAL THOUGHT: **Firstly, I don't think I can keep up with this story any longer. I guess that; since Ai Yazawa will be continuing this story... I'll just wait for her releases... because... well as you can see, this chapter really took a long time for it to be published. It's because my first feelings for this story has been gradually calming down. And sometimes, in order not to feel the guilt, the pain of these emotions, I skipped some scenes of the anime and watched other anime. It might be selfish of me, but really from the start of this story... it was a way to release my first impression of the anime out here. I hope my readers liked my story... and if you guys feel that this story must continue... create your own and share it on this site for others to read.

Happy writing!


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